August 15, 2008

It’s easier said than done to write great 500-750 word articles. Some of us simply have too much to say. We have trouble reigning things in at less than 1500 words. Others are on the opposite end of the spectrum strain to make their articles long enough.

Knowing that a 500-750 word article marketing article has a greater chance of getting published on a top website like About.com, I consistently try to get all of my articles to conform to that range. Today, I reveal some of my secrets so you can get published on more top websites and ezines.

8 Tricks for Writing 500-750 Word Articles That Get Published More Often

1. Create an outline

I write a lot of how-to’s and list articles. They are the simplest and best articles you can write for online marketing purposes. After I write my headline, the first thing I do is write down my tips or the steps of my ‘how-to.’ I make brief notes of the major points I want to make without worrying about polishing anything at this point. All I want to do is jot down the skeleton of my article before I start filling in the paragraphs.

2) Fill in the outline and be brief

Say exactly what you need to say to get your point across and stop there. Remember, if you give too much of the “HOW,” your prospects will have NO reason to go back to your website to get your special report or buy your products and services.

3) Save writing the intro paragraph and the conclusion for the end.

This little trick will cut your writing time in half. Some of us ‘wordy’ folks will instinctively go crazy on our intro paragraph and spend huge amounts of time on it trying to get it just right. Then later, we realize that we’ve just spent half of our word count allotment there!

Focus the majority of your words on the “meat” of the article. This is the part that is in between the intro and the conclusion. For ‘How To’ or other 500-750 word list articles, your intro paragraph can be as simple as two to three sentences that intrigue readers and gracefully lead them into your list. Your closing paragraph should be 2 to 4 sentences that motivate readers to take action and go to the next level.

4) Do a word count.

Copy and paste your article into a Word document and then use the word-count editing tool. This’ll give you an idea of how much you need to trim (if you’re over 800 words already) or how much you have to fill in (if you’re under 700 words).

5) Eliminate all redundancies

Many writers have tendencies to say something one time, and then say it again in the next sentence in a different way. Just say it once, clearly and concisely, and then move on. Look over your article and remove any phrasing that does not absolutely have to be there.

6) Remove unnecessary words

Here’s a task you should complete even if you are in the 500-750 word range. Try to cut down your total word count by 10 percent. You can easily complete this task by eliminating unnecessary words. For example, if you write statements like, “It seem to me that most people prefer soft baked chocolate chip cookies rather than hard ones,” you’ve just used up 5 unnecessary words. You don’t need: “It seems to me that.” Don’t second-guess yourself by putting the qualifier “it seems like,” “I think” or “I believe.”

7) Create 2 articles out of 1.

If your word count is too long and you’ve trimmed out as much as you can from each section, you may end up needing to make your “Top 10″ article into two “Top 5″ articles. If you follow this tip, make sure you write each article as a stand-alone article. When you put part 1 and part 2 in the title, you limit your chances for publication success.

Follow this advice and you will write clear, concise articles that get published and read more often. Now, I’d like to invite you to take your article writing efforts to the next level with my A to Z Article Marketing System. Check it out at www.BroadcastYourArticles.com

About the Author:

Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for entrepreneurs who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, Eric is sharing the exact roadmap, broken into 5 easy-to-follow steps that thousands have used to launch and build their businesses online with articles. And, he’s giving this knowledge for FREE, with his new e-Book at: http://www.BroadcastYourArticles.com/freebook